Wednesday
Jan062010
January 6, 2010 Sign the SAVE THE CARRY-ON petition
The hysteria caused by the Christmas Day incident as preciptiated a real crisis for the carry-on traveler. Register your opposition to the banning of carry-on luggage by signing the OBOW petition here. Please forward to friends and post on other message boards you visit (like FlyerTalk or Rick Steves). Our goal is 10,000 signatures. The petition text:
We, the undersigned, do petition and urge US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to allow no policy that bans airline passengers from traveling with at least one reasonably-sized item of carry-on luggage and a personal item. Banning carry-on luggage would impose an unjust, undue, and unnecessary burden on a traveling public already under great stress. - sign here
Reader Comments (10)
Created a Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=230601402854
Thanks for that!
It's not the DHS or TSA that banned all carry-ons, it's Transport Canada because of the delays all the searches and pat-downs were causing. The TSA asked to limited passengers to a single carry-on and to not get up in the last hour of the flight. Carry-ons are only banned in flights from Canada to the USA.
That's understood, Annoyed. We just don't want the US to follow suit.
Both the single carry-on and not getting up the last hour requirements have been rescinded. It is now up to the individual airline, airport or captain to decide.
However, some in Congress like what Canada is doing and may try to get that made into law here.
It''s the old "Let's punish the passengers for the mistakes we make "policy.
http://www.1bag1world.com/blog/2009/12/30/defying-logic-not-terror.html
(second update)
No - make that traveled - past tense. I carry a carry-on bag with one camera, one laptop, many lenses and flashes, and another camera on my shoulder. Total cost, $25,000. Yes, professional photography is not cheap, that is $25,000.
If I am not allowed to take that on board, I do not travel. Period. That's the USA's loss, my economic activity will just have to stay in Europe and Canada.
Authoriies, you are letting AL Qaeda totally win - that must be roaring with laughter at their effectiveness at bringing us to our knees.
The bad guys must be laughing hysterically at the chaos, confusion and fear they've created with this last incident (even though it wasn't "successful" in the way they had hoped).
As I understand the situation, the rule for "no carry-ons" to the U.S. is more a matter of expediency than it is for security. I doubt that CATSA has enough staff to man both the primary security points as well as the secondary one at the gate, so this policy makes things easier for them.
Hopefully some sanity will prevail, SOON!
Seriously, as much as I love one-bag travel, I'm more concerned with the civil liberties we continue to forfeit in key Patriot Act provisions than I am with annoying waits at baggage claim.
Not having a carry-on = letting the terrorists win? Really? How about denying broad swaths of humanity the right to due process because of religion and/or geographic happenstance?
Let's not mistake our love of convenience with our love of freedom. Often the latter demands that we sacrifice the former. I'd be annoyed if I could no longer travel carry-on only, but I'd be up in arms if I couldn't travel at all.
(Incidentally, I don't necessarily disagree that TSA protocols have more to do with jerking knees than sound risk-mitigation strategy, but that doesn't mean your hyperbole is justified.)